A private entrepreneur is set to take the helm of U.S. space policy under Donald Trump’s administration.
Reuters reports that Jared Isaacman, a 42-year-old former private astronaut, was confirmed as National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator on Wednesday with a Senate vote of 67 in favor and 30 against.
Isaacman, a billionaire entrepreneur known to be close to Elon Musk, is the first private astronaut to lead NASA in its 67-year history.
His top priority is to win the space race against China. During his confirmation hearing on the 3rd, Isaacman expressed urgency, stating that the U.S. must return to the Moon before China. If we fall behind, it may never catch up.
Isaacman has made it clear that he intends to outpace China’s goal of manned lunar exploration by 2030 and fulfill President Trump’s objective of reclaiming the Moon.
After high school, Isaacman skipped college to found the online payment company Shift4, becoming a self-made billionaire. He has completed two space flights and gained public recognition in 2024 as the first civilian to successfully perform a spacewalk.
He is expected to dismantle NASA’s bureaucracy and infuse the organization with private sector efficiency.
However, his appointment has not been without controversy. In particular, his close ties to SpaceX, Elon Musk’s space company, have raised conflict of interest concerns.
Isaacman personally holds a 50 million USD contract with SpaceX for the Polaris Program, and his company, Shift4, is also reported to have invested in SpaceX.
Critics argue that having the NASA Administrator directly oversee major contracts with SpaceX is akin to letting the fox guard the henhouse.
President Trump initially nominated Isaacman as NASA Administrator early in his term but abruptly withdrew the nomination in May after his relationship with Musk soured. A few months later, following a reconciliation with Musk, Trump re-nominated Isaacman in November.
Sean O’Keefe, the acting NASA Administrator and Secretary of Transportation, congratulated Isaacman on his confirmation, saying that as it aims to return to the Moon by 2028 and outpace China, he hopes Isaacman successfully leads NASA.